PSN Pass: What It Means to You and the Industry

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The new and used experiences aren't the same thing -- and they shouldn't be.

By Colin Moriarty

Earlier this week, rumblings began to disturb the PlayStation peace that had been found since the epic outage of the PlayStation Network some months back. A picture of the upcoming PlayStation 3/Resistance 3 bundle emerged, and there was something on it that took the Sony faithful by surprise. Tucked away on the left side of the box, next to a gigantic Chimera skull, was a logo popping-out of the package on a purple background. It read "PSN PASS" with a huge PlayStation Network logo next to it, and it immediately sparked debate and speculation as to just what it meant.

PlayStation Network is inherently free, but could this be the sign of a pay model that Sony had yet to reveal? PlayStation Plus has the optional "premium" version of PlayStation Network on lockdown, so it couldn't have possibly been that. I speculated to myself and friends here at IGN that perhaps this was Sony taking the route that companies like EA and THQ already had. This was a way to stymie the pervasive encroachment of used games sales on the bottom line by locking Resistance 3's online options to anyone except for the person who inputs a code included in a new copy of the game. If you bought the game used, you'd have to purchase a code to gain access to online play for yourself.

This is what started the speculation about PSN Pass.

It only takes a drop of the hat to get the Internet up in arms, so when it was revealed that this was indeed the case, people flipped-out. Yet, as usual, folks are upset over nothing. After a lengthy discussion on the most recent episode of Podcast Beyond as well as some more independent thought about the subject, I came to realize that Sony is doing what's logical. Sony is protecting its business just like EA, THQ and others have already done. And I support what Sony and other companies are trying to do to ensure continued financial success so that we can get more new games in the future.

I understand the need to purchase used games, especially when used game prices are used as a barometer for a consumer to dictate what they think a product is worth to them. If Game X comes out at $60 new but it's just not that good, a gamer not entirely eager to get his hands on the title may decide "you know what, I'd rather pay $40 for this game when it's used in a couple of months." That's fair. That's logical. Just don't expect to get the entire package you would have had you bought the game new. And of course, for games not of this generation, buying them used is the only way to get your hands on them (with the exception of games that are available digitally). A thriving used market for older games is great, and something I've taken advantage of many, many times in my life.

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Why is the expectation that when you're buying a used game you should get the exact same product you get when you buy the game new?

But if you were to go into a car dealership and demand a used vehicle for a cheaper price than what that same car goes for new, yet wanted all of the perks that came with the new car, you'd be laughed out of the showroom. You can have that brand new Chevy Volt with a fresh battery, OnStar support, minimal mileage, a clean and crisp interior and an impressive warranty. Or you can buy that Chevy Volt used, save some cash, and deal with the fact that the battery has degraded a bit, OnStar has been turned off, the interior has some stains, and the warranty has been downgraded.

In other words, why is the expectation that when you're buying a used game you should get the exact same product you get when you buy the game new? You get what you pay for. And in the case of Resistance 3, you're paying for the single-player game without online access. Those who choose to buy the game new, as it was intended, get the whole package.

That's not to say that the model is right or wrong. There are "used markets" for just about everything under the sun, and our money dictates that they exist. The thing is, there's more control over used content in other realms than there is in gaming. Publishers have no realistic way to reap continued rewards from its investment by purchasing used games and selling them again. But Honda will accept used cars, turn them around, and sell them at a profit for a second, or perhaps even third time. If you purchase clothes at Express and then get rid of them at Goodwill, you're doing so for free to support a not-for-profit business, not to line a corporation's pockets.

These aren't absolutes, of course, but rather suggest that there isn't any realistic outlet for those who create and distribute the games we love to do what other entities in other industries are able to. PSN Pass, just like EA's and THQ's similar efforts in the last year, attempt to make back some lost profit from used games and support increasing server costs necessary to run those games online. There's really no other way for those companies to defend themselves, except to make games exclusively digital, which would seal titles off from masses of gamers who don't have high speed internet access, credit cards, or the will to sit there and download gigantic files.

THQ did its own online pass with Homefront, a game that sold over 2.5 million copies.

Gamers must also lose this notion that used games are something sacred, not to be tampered with. Used games have existed as long as the industry has, and until the digital, solid-state revolution inevitably arrives, we'll be saddled with that reality. But as merchants' profits grow at the expense of those who actually create and distribute the games, the industry has decided to try to step-up and do something about it. And it's something we better get used to quick, because this model will only become more and more common.

So buy new or buy used. I don't really care. Just lose the unrealistic expectation of receiving the same thing purchasers of new products get when you buy something secondhand. It's an ill-fated sense of entitlement that will have to go the way of the dodo whether you choose to accept it or not.